Human Computer Interaction

This course focuses on the basic concepts of how human perceives and interacts with computers. Through a set of exercises, students will acquire the ability to critique problems that exist in current interactive software and websites. Students will also learn several usability evaluation methods.

Learning Outcomes

Students will also have an idea about understanding users’ problems, designing usable user interfaces and evaluating these user interfaces and UX with end users.
Understating the key HCI theories and design principles for designing user-friendly solutions Explain context of HCI and different measures for evaluation. Apply the principles of good design for people from the perspective of age and disabilities. Design UX for social media Applications. Analyze techniques for user centered design for a medium sized software. Evaluate the usability of a medium size software user interface
.Ability to observe users in their working environment and analyze their work practices/usage behavior in a creative and critical manner to identify (possible) problems Analyze and identify user models, user support, socio-organizational issues, and stakeholder requirements of HCI system

Course Content:

The human: Input–output channels, Human memory, Thinking, Emotion, Individual differences, Psychology and the design of interactive systems. [Ch. 1]
The computer: Text entry devices, Positioning, pointing and drawing, Display devices, Devices for virtual reality and 3D interaction, Physical controls, sensors and special devices, Paper: printing and scanning, Memory, Processing and networks. [Ch. 2]
The interaction: Models of interaction, Frameworks and HCI, Ergonomics, Interaction styles, Elements of the WIMP interface, Interactivity, The context of the interaction, Experience, engagement and fun. [Ch. 3]
Interaction design basics: What is design? The process of design, User focus, Scenarios, Navigation design, Screen design and layout, Iteration and prototyping. [Ch. 5]
HCI in the software process: The software life cycle, Usability engineering, Iterative design and prototyping, Design rationale. [Ch. 6]
Design rules: Principles to support usability, Standards, Guidelines, Golden rules and heuristics, HCI patterns. [Ch. 7]
Implementation support: Elements of windowing systems, Programming the application, Using toolkits, User interface management systems.[Ch. 8]
Evaluation techniques: What is evaluation? Goals of evaluation, Evaluation through expert analysis, Evaluation through user participation, Choosing an evaluation method. [Ch. 9]
Universal design: Universal design principles, Multi-modal interaction, Designing for diversity.[Ch. 10]
User support: Requirements of user support, Approaches to user support, Adaptive help systems, Designing user support systems. [Ch.11]
Task analysis: Differences between task analysis and other techniques, Task decomposition, Knowledge-based analysis, Entity–relationship-based techniques, Sources of information and data collection, Uses of task analysis [Ch. 15]
Dialog notations and design: What is dialog? Dialog design notations, Diagrammatic notations, Textual dialog notations, Dialog semantics, Dialog analysis and design. [Ch. 16]
Models of the system: Standard formalisms, Interaction models, Continuous behaviour.
Modeling rich interaction: Introduction, Status–event analysis, Rich contexts, Low intention and sensor-based interaction. [Ch. 18]
Groupware: Groupware systems, Computer-mediated communication, Meeting and decision support systems, Shared applications and artifacts, Frameworks for groupware, Implementing synchronous groupware. [Ch. 19]
Ubiquitous computing and augmented realities: Ubiquitous computing applications research, Virtual and augmented reality, Information and data visualization. [Ch. 20]
Hypertext, multimedia and the world wide web: Understanding hypertext, Finding things, Web technology and issues, Static web content, Dynamic web content. [Ch. 21]

Textbook(s):

Human-Computer Interaction by Alan Dix, Janet E. Finlay, Gregory D. Abowd, Russell Beale, Prentice Hall; 3rd Edition (December 20, 2003). ISBN-10: 0130461091

Reference Material:

Human-Computer Interaction: Concepts And Design by J. Preece, Y. Rogers, H. Sharp, D. Benyon, S. Holland, T. Carey, Addison Wesley; 1st Edition (April 30, 1994). ISBN-10: 0201627698.
Human-Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies, and Emerging Applications by Julie A. Jacko, CRC Press; 3rd Edition (May 4, 2012). ISBN-10: 1439829438
Interaction Design: Beyond Human - Computer Interaction by Yvonne Rogers, Helen Sharp, and Jenny Preece, Wiley; 3rd Edition (June 15, 2011). ISBN-10: 0470665769
Designing with the Mind in Mind: Simple Guide to Understanding User Interface Design Rules by Jeff Johnson, Morgan Kaufmann; 1st Edition (June 3, 2010). ISBN-10: 012375030X